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Shedding Light on the Ethiopian Jewish Experience

There are some great books out there that shed light on the Ethiopian Jewish experience and now we have another one to add to list. Cry of the Giraffe (Judie Oron) is intended for young adults ages 14 and up (although, the story sounds like it will appeal to adult readers, as well) and is based on the life of an Ethiopian teenager named Wuditu (name has been changed to protect her privacy).

Cry of the Giraffe, (Annick Press, August, 2010), is based on the story of an Ethiopian Jewish teenager named Wuditu*, who, together with her younger sister, Lewteh*, was separated from her family in a violent incident in a refugee camp in Sudan. While the two young girls were being forcibly returned to Ethiopia, the rest of their family members were rescued from the refugee camp and flown via a secret airlift to Israel.

Circumstances forced the two girls to separate. Lewteh* survived and was reunited with her family. Alone at 13 years old, Wuditu* struggled to find work and a way back to her family but was unwittingly trapped into slavery. The book tells of her fight to stay alive in wartorn Ethiopia, until a stranger unexpectedly came to free her.

Find out more from Judie Oron’s website here and view the book trailer below: